“Welcome Back” John Carter, Mars Was Your Ticket Out!

Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection Episode 199, where we look at various comic books I own (and in some cases ones that I let get away), both new and old, often with a nostalgic leaning for those feelings of yesteryear. I hope you have as much fun reading about them as I had writing about these cool comics!

For each of the comic books I include here, I list the current secondary market pricing (with the exception of digital issues, which don’t have collectible value). This is according to the websites comicbookrealm.com (CBR) and Zap-Kapow Comics (ZKC), using the comic book grading scale of 9.4 (if both sites have the same price, you’ll find just one price for that issue). Not all my comics meet that grade. Some are probably better, and some are certainly worse. But to simplify it, that’s the scale I use here. And remember, a comic book is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it.

Did you know that you can be a guest host for Cool Comics? It’s your chance to show off some of your favorite comics in your personal collection! Just pick any of your comics for inclusion (this blog is for all ages, so please keep that in mind), with a maximum of seven issues. Repeat guest hosts are permitted and encouraged. To submit your completed blog (or if you have any questions), write to edgosney62@gmail.com.

The Cool Comics In My Collection Facebook Group is a place where you can discuss the comics you love, your favorite titles, and the characters that keep you coming back for more. Also, creators are welcome to share news about what you are working on, including Kickstarter campaigns. And don’t forget the prizes. Yes, Cool Comics gives away cool prizes. Be sure and join today!

If you have any comments, please scroll to the bottom of the page to where it says, “Leave a Reply.” And now, Episode 199…

Cool Comics News!

While I consider myself a comic book commentator and influencer, I’m a far cry from being able to claim the mantle of “Comic Book Historian.” Rather, I’m more of a student of comic book history. I gain my education via magazines such as Back Issue and Alter Ego, books on comic book history, and I’ve also added podcasts to my curriculum, such as Into the Weird. If you click on the name and listen to Episode 10, the podcast team reads an email I sent to them.

And speaking of Alter Ego, a few weeks back I found a big batch of back issues of it and Back Issue magazine at my local comic shop. I recently finished reading issue 154, which had a great feature on Golden Age artist Allen Bellman along with some fun early Seventies Marvel comics staring female heroes. If you want to know more about the creators and characters of your hobby of choice, these two magazines are excellent.

Cool Comics Battle of the Week!

Your Cool Comics Battle of the Week is Deathstroke versus Shang-Chi, the Master of Kung Fu! What do you think would happen if they faced each other in a titanic tussle, and how do you see the winner achieving victory? Let us know in the comments section below.

Cool Comics In My Collection

Contemporary Cool Comics

#985 — The Amazing Spider-Man #25, Marvel, September 2019.

I’ve read lots of Spider-Man comic books (Amazing, Spectacular, Peter Parker, Marvel Team-Up, no adjective, and Ben Reilly/Scarlet Spider/Clone Spider-Man) during my life, going back to the early Seventies. And some periods I’ve enjoyed more than others. When you’ve taken a break from the hobby, sometimes it’s painful when you return because things aren’t the way you remember them as being, and you aren’t happy with the changes. I enjoyed the last few months of The Amazing Spider-Man before it got renumbered to the current run, but I’ve just been lukewarm with The Hunt storyline. Not that it was bad, but it didn’t do much for me. I think most comic book readers know what I’m talking about…not necessarily with this run of Spider-Man, but at some point in your reading, one of your favorite titles suddenly doesn’t feel the same any longer. So we come to this giant 25^th issue, and I was hoping that it would give me back that Spider-Man feeling that I remember so well. And for the most part, it did. Thanks to Mary Jane Watson. Anyone who’s read this issue knows all about what she did at the theater, and her interactions made this big issue worth it. The cover price of The Amazing Spider-Man #25 is $7.99, while the current value is $8.

#986 — Superman #13, DC, September 2019.

Initially, Superman #13 wasn’t going to be a part of Cool Comics. I decide on the comics a couple weeks in advance and start reading what’s scheduled to go in the episode about a week-and-a-half before publication. Yet after reading this issue, the first “Year of the Villain” title I’ve gotten, I knew it belonged as part of Cool Comics. Superman and his father (Jor-El…if you haven’t been keeping up, he’s still alive) are in space, traveling to where Krypton used to be located to find out once and for all what really caused the destruction of the planet. But we also get an in-depth view of Jor-El before the devastation, including clandestine meetings with galactic leaders, his efforts to find out information concerning Rogol Zaar, and the drama he and his wife faced concerning young Kal and life and death. There are those who don’t like the current writer of the Superman comics, Brian Michael Bendis, but I’ve been having lots of fun reading them over the last year. The cover price of Superman #13 is $3.99, while the current value is $4.

#987 — Deathstroke #19, DC, July 2017.

Remember “The Judas Contract” way back in 1984? It was a story appearing in Tales of the Teen Titans #42 through 44, and Tales of the Teen Titans Annual #3. I wasn’t actively reading or collecting when these came out, but picked up both issue #44 and the annual in back-issue bins sometime during the Nineties, so when I started reading this Deathstroke issue that is part 3 of “The Lazarus Contract,” it immediately brought “The Judas Contract” to mind, and by golly, even though many changes have take place in DC comics since 1984, there were some parallels, making it fun for anyone who remembers that blast from the past. This storyline takes place in Titans #11, Teen Titans #8, then this issue of Deathstroke, and finishes up in Teen Titans Annual #1. For those who fondly remember “The Judas Contract” and want to read this new take, you can also purchase Titans: The Lazarus Contract in hardcover, trade paperback, and digitally. The cover price of Deathstroke #19 is $2.99, while the current values are $9 on CBR and $8 on ZKC.

Cool Comics Done Dirt Cheap

#988 — Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #2, Marvel, August 2014.

During my first phase of comic book collecting (1973 to 1978), I was not at all caught up in the Kung Fu craze, so when Master of Kung Fu started appearing on the shelves at Slick’s in Martins Ferry, Ohio, I barely gave it a sideways glance. Though I wish I could hop in my DeLorean and tell my younger self what comics to buy, it’s probably not going to happen. Yet we can dream, can’t we? Meanwhile, I do feel like a kid again when I find Seventies gems at discounted prices. But during a long absence from comic book collecting (mid-2003 to mid-2017), I missed out on lots of other cool stuff, including Shang-Chi, the Master of Kung Fu himself, in this miniseries. Fortunately for me, my legendary longbox (over a year ago, I bought a longbox that was stuffed with 419 comic books for just $20; hence, Cool Comics Done Dirt Cheap) helped me discover a number of cool comics that I’d missed out on. But this is issue 2 of 4, so I need to keep my eyes out for the other three issues. The hunt is never-ending, right? The cover price of Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #2 is $3.99, while the current value is $4.

FCBD the Cool Comics Way (Week 11)

#989 — Bob’s Burgers, Dynamite, May 2019.

Last August in episode 152, I had my first experience in any way, shape, or form with Bob’s Burgers. I didn’t like the first story in the issue, enjoyed the second, and didn’t really commit one way or the other on the third tale. This year I thought the first story, “The Ride,” was very entertaining and brought to mind elements of my short story Counterclockwise (which can be found as a solo Kindle story and additionally as a paperback and via Kindle in Ha!Ha!Ha! a Supervillain anthology). In my opinion, The Ride makes it worth searching out this Free Comic Book Day issue, if you like offbeat stories. Up next, Bob’s Burgers gives us a cautionary tale in a wacky way that I’m guessing will entertain most of you. Last, we get a bit of a bizarre space-faring adventure that takes enough odd twists and turns to keep you reading to the end. The cover price of Bob’s Burgers is free, while the current values are $0 on CBR and $1 on ZKC.

Cool Comics Kids

#990 — Porky Pig #73, Whitman/Gold Key, March 1977.

This issue of Porky Pig came out in the Gold Key era, but has the Whitman Pre-Pack logo on the cover, for those completists out there who are wondering about the image. When I was a kid, I didn’t care much for Porky Pig, but as I’ve matured, I now must admit that I sort of like him. With that in mind, I don’t know how today’s youth feel about Porky (and do kids today even know much at all about Looney Tunes?), but I still recommend this comic for your growing Cool Comics Kids collection that you can safely give to the youngsters in your life. Like most of the other titles in this category, the issue has several complete stories that are perfect for young attention spans. If you do some digging you can find comics like this in discount bins from time to time, and I grabbed this one for just a quarter. The cover price of Porky Pig #73 is 30¢, while the current values are $10 on CBR and $5 on ZKC.

Cool Comics Classics

#991 — John Carter, Warlord of Mars #1, Marvel, June 1977.

During my third phase of comic collecting (1993 to 2003), I was able to find all but three issues of this series in back issue bins. I hadn’t gotten around to reading any of them, and then when I ended up selling the majority of my collection because my house was overrun with white boxes, all my issues of John Carter ended up in the sale. So, this first issue is a replacement. It’s in far better condition than the previous number one I owned, and I paid $9 for it. But it’s a piece of Bronze Age beauty that I really wanted in my collection, and I’m happy to have it back. I’m not sure if I’ll ever get all the other issues I had from this short series, but this is the one I really wanted. If you’ve seen the underrated movie, you’ll recognize parts of this story. I’ve yet to read the original novel, A Princess of Mars, so I can’t tell you how this comic book matches up to it, but maybe some of you readers out there can let us know in the comments section below. Written by Marv Wolfman, with art by Gil Kane and Dave Cockrum, this comic isn’t for everyone, but for those who appreciate Edgar Rice Burroughs and licensed comics, this is a visual feast not only of the story itself, but the experience of going back to 1977 and enjoying the ads on the pages, too. So welcome back, Carter! The cover price of John Carter, Warlord of Mars #1 is 30¢, while the current value is $35.

Recently Read Digital Comics

I’m still making my way through the digital issues of All-Star Superman, but this week things were a little busier, so I was only able to read issues 7 and 8 of the series. Both had a lot of Bizarro World interaction, which can get a little annoying at times, if you know what I mean—”Me am fan of Bizarro talk”—not so much. Still, Bizarro has long been a part of Superman comics, so I’m not complaining. By the way, I’ve been reading All-Star Superman with the DC Universe app, and the mechanics of it have been working just as well as comiXology, which is usually the app I use for my digital reading. It gives you the option of reading frame by frame, but I have noticed that the art is a little fuzzy this way. I’m not sure if these issues look the same or better in comiXology, or if just this particular comic series has this happening or all comics via the app suffer from this. Regardless, I like the availability of so many titles to choose from. It seems like most people got the DC Universe app (at least from what I’ve seen on social media) in order to stream shows and movies, but don’t discount the vast collection of DC back issues available to you.

ComicBooks For Kids!

ComicBooks For Kids! (CB4K) is a charity that Cool Comics In My Collection is honored to be working with. CB4K provides comic books to kids in hospitals and cancer centers all across the Unites States. You can check their website and see if your local hospital is included and if not, you can work with them to get them included! If you like what you see, please help them out and follow/like their Facebook page. Their link is https://www.facebook.com/comicbooksforkids/

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